Bible Thumper
by Fayre Aiden
Summary: A multiple homicide hits too close for comfort. What will the team do when a team member is threated? GSR! set after 4th season. FINISHED FIC!
1. Chapter 1

Bible Thumper 

Disclaimer: I do not have any rights to CSI or it's characters. Ergo anything I write using its characters belongs to those who do own them. Don't sue me; I'm just a fanatic!

Spoilers: References here and there, but we've seen all the episodes by now, haven't we?

Summary: A multiple homicide hits to close for comfort. Warning: violence, gore, and language

A/N: Special thanks to Kati Owen for giving me the push I needed to write a fanfic of my own and for making me her very first CSI convert!

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Chapter 1

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It was almost the end of shift and Catherine was glad to be done for the night. Having just finished the paperwork on the last case, she flipped through one more time to make sure she hadn't missed anything. The case had been frustrating as hell. There was almost no physical evidence, and what they did find put them no closer to finding the perpetrator. With nothing to go on, the team had filed the case as "unsolved" and turned in their reports. Catherine gathered hers together and headed toward Grissom's office to turn it in.

When she got to the door, she reached forward to turn the handle and open it, when suddenly Sara came storming out. Catherine hurriedly moved out of the way so as not to be trampled as Sara marched out of the office and down the hall, slamming the door to the break room behind her. Poking her head in the door of Grissom's office before stepping in, Catherine shook her head. "What did you do to piss her off this time?" she asked, adding the papers to the growing pile on his desk. Grissom lifted his face out of his hands long enough to glare at Catherine. "I'm not even sure!" he sighed, frustrated to no end. "Every time I say anything to her, it seems to end up in an argument!" She smiled wryly. "Well, not every time." 

Grissom shot her an acid look. "Did you come in here just to harass me or was there something else?"

Catherine was taken aback at the venom in those words.

"Careful, Griss," she shot back. "That could be construed as slander, and you've actually been in a court room, remember?"

She tossed the report at his chest before turning on her heel and heading for the door. She stopped in the doorway for one last shot.

"You know, if you weren't such an ass towards her, she might actually stay, instead of constantly making threats to leave."

Grissom's head snapped up, realizing the full meaning of those words, willing her to explain, but she'd left. He got up and headed straight for Sara's workstation, only to find it empty. He searched the locker room and the break room, but to no avail. The only sign of recent occupation was the semi-fresh pot of coffee and some spilt sugar on the counter. He'd just missed her.

Sighing, he convinced himself it was for the best. He didn't have the emotional strength to start another argument right now. Sara's emotions, when she let them show, were like a sledgehammer. If she swung hard enough, she could put a dent in anything.

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After her months of research, she immediately recognized the faces of Sara and Catherine as they marched out of the lab to their cars. Under their evident irritation, they both looked tired.

She smiled. "Get your rest, ladies. By this time tomorrow, you're going to need it."

She turned the key and started to pull away, hoping that they'd do better on the next case than the others had. They'd done well on the last one, but it looked like they'd be needing some help, and she was more than willing to give it to them.

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	2. Chapter 2

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Chapter 2

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Sara waited before entering the lab at the start of shift the next night. She'd deliberately missed assignments. After last night's spat with Grissom, she'd decided that if he was going to continue to treat her like shit, she'd return the favor. She glanced at her watch. He'd be done by now. Hoping beyond hope that he'd paired her with Catherine, she headed inside. She was met in the hall by most of the crew coming out of the break room, assignments in hand.

"Missed ya this evening, Sar." Nick came over for their customary sibling-like greeting.

"Sorry, Nicky. Running a little behind. I slept late." She smiled and took the punch on the shoulder in good humor, knowing he didn't believe her for a second. "Mom," she cried to Catherine, "he hit me!"

"Oh, come come, now." Catherine smiled at being pulled into their little game. "Don't drag me into it. You're a big girl." Drawing a laugh from Warrick, she continued. "But, just as a precaution, I'll have to separate you. Come on Sara, you're with me. DB in Laughlin."

"Why are we handling Laughlin's cases?" Sara asked after throwing a last punch at Nick, who headed in the other direction with Warrick.

"Because Laughlin is swamped and they begged for our help. Revel in it while you can. You know how much they hate having to ask for help."

Sara giggled as they approached the car, silently saying a "thank you" to no one in particular for a smooth start to shift.

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Arriving at the scene, a townhouse not far into Laughlin city limits, Catherine stayed behind for a moment to grab her kit from the back of the Tahoe. Sara grabbed hers from near her feet and went ahead into the house. Brass was there to brief her.

"Body's over here," he said, pointing to bedroom apparently used as a gym. "Be prepared… it's kind of gruesome," he warned.

Sara played it off. It wasn't often she became nauseated on a case. But when she opened the door, it wasn't the smell of blood that took her aback. It wasn't the position of the body sprawled out across the floor on his stomach in a pool of his own blood that had her suddenly rooted to the spot. It wasn't even the blood spatter in every which direction on every wall, including the ceiling, in mass quantities from the stripes in every which direction on the victim's back that rocked her into shocked silence. It was the idea formulating in her mind of what would drive a person to whip someone so brutally and then stand there and watch him bleed to death.

"Oh, my God!"

Catherine's exclamation from behind her brought Sara back into reality.

"It's not hard to lay this one out, is it, Cath?"

"It's not hard to guess at what happened here, no.… But we can't lay it out until we have evidence," she answered, "so, let's get started."

Careful not to disturb any blood spatter on the floor, Catherine got out her camera and started taking photos of the scene. Assured that the coroner had done his job, Sara concentrated on the body. After taking the photos, she rolled him over. There was no sign of any other injuries, but she'd leave that to Doc. Robbins.

"Hey, Sara," Catherine came over to the body. "Anything other than his back?"

"No, doesn't look like it. Help me roll him back over…. Look at the stripes! You handled the Lady Heather case, right? What kind of weapon would do that? It looks like a whip, but that doesn't explain the really deep wounds. They're almost like stab wounds."

"Probably a cat-of-nine-tails whip. That also takes care of the parallel stripes," Catherine noted knowledgeably. "But let the paramedics take him to Doc. He'll be able to tell better than us. Meds!"

Almost immediately, 4 paramedics came in with a gurney and lifted to body out of the room while Catherine and Sara started on the wall spatter.

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Grissom sat in his office, sorting through the last of the current paperwork. He knew it shouldn't have taken him this long, but thoughts of Sara and the anger that had flashed in her eyes before she'd left his office the previous night kept creeping into his mind. He knew he'd been an ass towards her, but he didn't know how else to act around her. He couldn't seem to make her understand that work and relationships had to be kept separate. Sara and his career were the two most important things to him, but he had to give them both the attention they deserved in their own time.

His thoughts were interrupted when his cell phone started buzzing across his desk.

"Grissom," he answered methodically.

"It's Cath. The scene you gave us is another dud. No prints, no hairs, nothing. Just the vic whipped to death…"

"lying in a pool of his own blood," she continued, except now she was in his doorway. Grissom looked up as he closed his cell phone.

"I called on the way from the autopsy room," she explained. Making her way to the desk, she tossed him a photograph of the scene. "This is the only thing we could find that might give us any clues as to who did this."

Looking at the spatter on the walls, he saw what she meant. "That's an odd void," he said, "not a body void. What is that?"

"It's a message void," Catherine said, sliding another photo onto the desk. "We connected the dots for you." She smiled as Grissom gave her a little smirk.

"Ex 20 15," he read aloud, more to himself than to her.

"What do you make of it?" she asked, unable to read his expression.

"Not sure." He made for his library-like bookshelf, but before he could even get close enough to read the smaller titles, his office phone rang. Knowing the receptionist wouldn't put it through unless it was urgent, he answered.

"Grissom."

"Making any headway, Dr. Grissom?"

"Who is this?" he asked cautiously.

"You may call me Miriam. I asked you haw the case was going."

"You have information for us, Miriam?"

"Well, I can tell you that Sara and Catherine didn't find much, except that klepto-scumbag lying an his own blood. But I presume you got my messages."

Grissom tensed at the thought that this person knew his team and was momentarily frightened for them. But realizing he had a golden opportunity in front of him, he knew he had to stay cool and collected.

"Yes, we did…" He was treading carefully.

"I only thought it fair to warn you. I'll call back in one hour. You may ask questions, but there's no guarantee that I'll answer them. Have your crew ready. I'll have another message. Oh, and Grissom, God Bless." _Click._

Grissom got up and looked at Catherine, standing by his bookcase looking confused but intrigued.

"Cath, get the entire team in the conference room, ASAP. Bring pictures from this case and every other unsolved case in the last two months. She's calling back in an hour. I want everyone here in fifteen minutes so we can prepare." Leaving Catherine rooted to the spot, he sprinted down the hall to confirm a hunch.

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	3. Chapter 3

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Chapter 3

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Looks of confusion darted across the table as Grissom walked into the conference room, silencing any conversation. Sitting at the head of the table, he set his load on the floor before addressing the group.

"About fifteen minutes ago, I received a call. The woman said she had information on the case, but I think she has more than she's willing to give." Referring to a notepad, he relayed the conversation to the group, getting a mixture of confusion and excitement in return.

"She said we could ask questions and I'm anxious to hear what yours are, but first I want to show you something." He pulled out the same photos that Catherine had shown him earlier. Look at the message there: Ex 20 15. Now look at these photos."

As the pictures were passed around the table, Sara looked up. "These are the photos from the last homicide."

"Yes, now look at the enhanced version of the same shot," Grissom prompted.

Sara looked down and a moment later Grissom saw her eyes widen as she read, "Ex 20 14."

"Exodus, Chapter 20, verse 14. 'Thou shalt not commit adultery.'" Grissom quoted the Bible. "Remember the vic…"

"The vic was having an affair!" Warrick sighed through clenched teeth. He slammed his fist on the table for emphasis, disappointed he hadn't put two and two together before now.

"And this one," Nick said, holding up another enhanced photograph. "Ex 20 3."

"Exodus, Chapter 20, verse 3. Who remembers something about our vic in this case?"

Silence ensued for a moment, but even so, Grissom could hear the wheels turning in their minds as they fought to remember the almost month old case. Suddenly, realization dawned on Sara.

"He was Hindu!" she exclaimed, looking at Grissom for praise, but getting none. He addressed the group instead.

" 'Thou shalt have no other gods before Me,'" he quoted. "Commandment number one."

"Suck up," Nick muttered, earning him a kick in the shin.

"So, we're dealing with a crusader," Catherine murmured. "Killing in righteousness…"

"I looked for similar cases in other cities. Apparently, Vegas is her third stop. She started in New York, and then moved on to Miami. Ten kills in each city, one for each commandment, and sadly, number four is always a minor." Grissom spread his research out before him.

"Number four?" Nick asked.

" 'Honor your mother and father.'" Catherine said mournfully. Everyone knew she was thinking of Lindsey.

"So, the current case is commandment…what?" Warrick asked, as much to change the subject as anything else.

"Number seven. 'Thou shalt not steal.' Sara, did you notice anything familiar about the vic?" Grissom asked.

"Yeah, but I couldn't place him," she said, clearly frustrated.

"Hey, isn't this the suspect from that casino robbery last month in Laughlin?" Warrick asked, recognition dawning.

"Yeah! He disappeared after questioning," Nick noted, looking at the photos Sara had shot earlier in the shift. "Apparently he didn't get very far."

"She's established a pattern and it's very well thought out. Lots of symbolism. She kills every twelve days, and only in ways mentioned in the Bible: whipping, burning, and even stoning." Grissom passed around information on Miriam from the other murders.

"There's tons of symbolism here!" Catherine's eyes darted up and down the sheet. "She doesn't kill in order of the commandments, though. She takes out the most grievous first: steal, cheat, lie, kill. Then she goes after the smaller ones, the ones virtually everyone is guilty of. She leaves the verses…"

"Plus, Sin City is her third stop. Three is a huge number in Christianity," Sara noted. "Figures she'd save her biggest stop for number three…" she let her voice trail off.

"If we're allowed to ask questions, I want to know why," Catherine said emphatically. "Even in doing this, she's not making the world a better place. She has to realize this."

"I want to know how she chooses her victims," Nick chirped in. "And why is she communicating with us? It's almost like she's helping us catch her."

"All right, hold on," Grissom all but yelled as chatter increased. "First of all, I can't take all your questions at once. So write them down and we'll ask her later." He paused to hear the scribbling of pen on paper. "Second of all, Nick, I don't think she's communicating so that we'll catch her, so much as she's trying to make a point. And third, I'll be taping this, but I want a copy for each person, Archie. I know you'll all be able to pick up on something different."

At that moment, the phone rang.

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	4. Chapter 4

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Chapter 4

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"Dr. Grissom, I presume?"

"Hello, Miriam." Grissom glanced at Archie to make sure the tapes were rolling. Archie gave a thumbs up.

"Is the whole team there?"

"Yes, Miriam, everyone is here."

"Even the lab rat?"

Greg blushed at the reference commonly used to describe him.

"Even Greg," Grissom answered, being cautious. He didn't want her to think he was rushing her.

"Actually, I was referring to Hodges, but it's good that Greg's there, too. More fieldwork will be good for him. He won't be working much in DNA. Wouldn't want him to get bored."

Surprised and worried looks were passed at the thought that she knew them by name and occupation, even personality. Grissom held up a hand and sent a look that said to stay calm and listen.

"If you're ready to ask questions, I'm ready to talk," Miriam prompted.

"I presume the name 'Miriam' was hand chosen for your, uh…"

"Mission?" she finished for him. "Yes, it held a special significance to me."

"I must say, choosing the name of the sister of Moses was clever," Grissom said, spelling it out for the crew.

"I didn't choose it. It was given to me by God to emphasize the importance and divinity of the mission," she said coldly. "But, good work. You've caught on quicker than the others."

At this, Warrick passed a notepad towards Catherine and Nick with the words "Joan of Arc complex" scribbled on it.

"Why the Ten Commandments?" Grissom asked. "Why not the Seven Deadly Sins?"

"I do not question the wisdom of God. I am simply his servant," Miriam answered in good humor. "But I think it's fitting. The Ten Commandments are the very law of God. These blasphemous heathens have flouted that law. The punishment is just and deserving."

Catherine held up a notepad with the word "forgiving" on it. Grissom took the hint.

"But isn't yours a forgiving God?" he asked. "Why go to such an extreme?"

"Because they have turned their back on their Creator!" she exclaimed. "They've had plenty of chances to change their ways. 'The wages of sin is death.' God's word, not mine."

Seeing that she was becoming aggravated, Grissom retreated. "Okay, so how do you choose your victims?"

"I wouldn't call them 'victims' so much as 'the condemned.' They choose to become unclean by committing the sin, and they choose to remain that way by not cleansing themselves. They can't claim lack of knowledge because there's an entire book on laws and atoning for sin."

"Leviticus," Grissom cut in.

"My, you are well read! I'm an instrument of God, being used to carry out justice. To answer your question, however, it is simple research and observation. Kevin Sampson was easy. He was already a suspect in the casino robbery. From his recent spending habits-all in cash- it was obvious he had the money. I only had to find him, which compared to New York and Miami, was easy enough."

"Did you communicate with authorities in other cities?"

"I did, but they didn't catch on. They didn't pay enough attention to detail, so they weren't able to understand."

It was funny… Grissom got the impression that Miriam was slightly disappointed. But before he could ask anything else, she took back control.

"I think that's enough for now."

"What about your message?" Grissom interrupted.

The line was silent for a moment.

"Don't rush me, Dr. Grissom. This is a dangerous game. I'd hate for you to lose too badly. My message is this: Jer 35 17. Good luck, and God Bless." _Click._

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	5. Chapter 5

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Chapter 5

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Immediately, the silence was broken as the room erupted in conversation about what they'd just heard. Archie stopped the tapes and ran to make copies while Grissom pulled a Bible for m the stack of books on the floor. Sara glanced his way to see him lost in thought.

"Hey, Griss!" she called over the noise. "What's up? You've got that look."

The others stopped their chatter to hear his response. They all knew "the look."

"Did you get that message?" Nick probed. " 'Cause it was lost on me."

"Jeremiah, Chapter 35, verse 17," Grissom said without looking up. " 'Therefore, the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Because you refuse to listen or answer when I call, I will send upon Judah and Jerusalem all the disasters I have threatened.'"

"I'm still lost," Nick shrugged, looking to Warrick for confirmation, who shrugged in return.

"Think!" Grissom leaned forward. "The tribe of Judah… that's us. Jerusalem… that's Vegas. She's playing God with us right now. She's saying we're not listening to her."

"Is she insane! We just played 20 Questions with her!" Sara exclaimed in frustration.

"That's jus it, Sara. We determined the direction of that entire conversation. We wanted the answers to _our_ questions, and we never gave her the chance to truly make her point. You've got to start thinking, Sara! You've got to dig deeper!"

Silence ensued as the team watched for Sara's reaction. To no one's surprise, Sara got up from her seat across from Grissom, leaving all her papers on the table, and left the room, her eyes filling with tears.

"Grissom, you ass!" Catherine near screamed, when everyone had returned to their workstations and Nick had run after Sara.

After Sara had left, an awkward silence had filled the room before Catherine had them all get to work on the analysis of the recording. Now she was in Grissom's office, pacing the floor, and giving him a piece of her mind.

"Catherine, please," Grissom pleaded.

"Please what? Look, I don't care if you're my boss. I don't care if you fire me, but you had no right to call Sara out like that! You embarrassed her in front of the ENTIRE lab! You've got to stop punishing her professionally for personal issues!"

"Whoa! Okay, hold it. That's _not_ what's going on here," he cried in his defense.

"Don't tell _me_ that, Grissom. Do you know where she is right now? She's in the locker room with Nicky, crying her eyes out because she thinks you hate her."

"I don't hate her! It's just the opposite, Catherine, and you know it!" Grissom challenged.

"But she doesn't, and she's gotta hear it from you." Leaving Grissom to his thoughts, Catherine left his office and headed to her own workstation to listen to the tape.

When Catherine got there, she barely had time to sit down, let alone push the play button when Nick rushed in.

"Cath," he panted. "Sara's… gone."

"Gone!" Catherine sat straight up in alarm. "Gone where?"

"She went…to the home…of the…last vic," he managed. "To talk…to the wife. I couldn't stop her."

As soon as the words were said, both CSIs jumped as they heard sudden footsteps run in the opposite direction down the hall. Grissom had evidently overheard the conversation because now he was headed to the parking lot to chase after Sara.

Catherine slouched and laid her head in her hands, rubbing her temples.

"Great," she moaned. "Sara's gone to the sadistic wife's house and Grissom is running after her. Just great." She leaned over her desk and grabbed her radio, requesting backup to arrive at the house.

The last victim was a man by the name of Victor Simmons. He'd also been found whipped to death in his home in suburban Vegas, near Henderson, and Miriam had killed him for adultery. The wife had become infuriated when the team told her they'd found nothing and filed the case as unsolved, screaming at them to get the hell out of her house.

Now, it was all Catherine could do not to rush over there and make things worse. She was almost desperate enough to pray that nothing went wrong.

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	6. Chapter 6

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Chapter 6

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It took every ounce of concentration Grissom had to keep his eyes on the road and not envision terrible things happening to Sara. If anything happened to her, he'd never forgive himself. At one point, he even made promises to no one in particular that if she was okay, he'd never hurt her again, that he'd love her with every bit on the attention she deserved and more.

Arriving at the house, he pulled up behind Sara's Tahoe and got out, heading for the door, his weapon drawn. The door was cracked. Using his foot he nudged it open and crept in, listening. He heard the soft click of the safety being flicked off of a pistol to his left, then Sara's voice saying, "Mrs. Simmons, you don't want to do this. Think about Victor. Would he want you to do this?"

Heading in the direction of Sara's voice, Grissom tried not to make any noise. He heard Mrs. Simmons yell back at Sara, "Why should I give a damn what Victor thought? He obviously didn't love me enough to keep his pants zipped! And now he's dead for it!"

Grissom turned the corner, coming into the room right behind Mrs. Simmons. He could see Sara across the room, her weapon drawn as well, pleading with Mrs. Simmons to put her gun down.

"Mrs. Simmons," Grissom said, causing the woman to spin around in his direction. "We're only here to help you. We just want to ask some questions."

She swung back to Sara, who nodded her agreement. Grissom took a step toward the woman.

"Come any closer and I'll shoot her!" she threatened.

Sara looked at Grissom with eyes that said not to move. Realizing she was going to try another tactic, Grissom nodded and stayed where he was.

"Mrs. Simmons," Sara began walking slowly towards her, but the woman panicked at the sudden movement and the growing sound of sirens in the background. She fired the gun.

The force from the bullet in Sara's chest caused her gun to go off as well, hitting Mrs. Simmons in the head as Sara's arm went up, blood spattering Grissom's glasses and shirt. Putting his weapon away, he ran to Sara and kneeled beside her, bringing her head to his chest and rocking her.

"It's all right, Sara. Backup is here and paramedics are coming. I'm not going anywhere," he said, holding her hand.

He heard the police come in and announce themselves at the door. Calling out to them, he told them to call for an ambulance. Putting their weapons away one officer called for medics on his radio while another came over to assess the situation.

By the time Grissom finished telling them what happened from start to finish, the meds arrived and brought two gurneys, thrusting Grissom aside to lift Sara and push her to the ambulance.

"I'm going with her!" he cried, climbing in beside her before the doors closed. Grabbing her hand as he sat next to her, he got out his phone and dialed Catherine's number.

"Willows," she answered.

"Cath," he said, not even trying to hide the emotion he felt right now, "tell everyone to get to the hospital, now. Sara's been shot."

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	7. Chapter 7

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Chapter 7

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Nick was the first one to rush into the waiting area.

"Where is she?" he demanded of Grissom.

"She's in surgery." Grissom stood up as Catherine, Warrick and Greg hurried in about ten steps behind Nick. "When I got to the house, Mrs. Simmons had already pulled the gun. Sara had her weapon drawn as well, in self-defense. We tried to calm her down but the woman was in hysterics and when Sara tired to walk towards her, she panicked and pulled the trigger."

"Why didn't you do anything!" Nick cried, running at him and pounding at Grissom's chest with this fists. Catherine pulled him back and sat him down as he started to sob. "I'm sorry, man," he eked out. "It's just… She's my best…friend…you know? I…"

"It's okay, Nick. I know," Grissom sighed. "There was nothing I could of done, short of taking the bullet for her."

'And I would have done that if I could,' he added silently.

Two hours later, the doctor came into the waiting are and walked toward the team.

"How is she?" Nick asked.

"She'll be fine. Sara is out of surgery and is resting right now. The wound was deep. She was lucky it only punctured a lung. A centimeter to the right and she'd be dead."

The team breathed a sigh of relief.

Nick asked, "Can we see her?"

"She'll be asleep, but I see no reason why not. One at a time, though."

The group all looked at Nick, but it was Grissom who painfully said, "Go ahead, Nick. You need it more than we do."

Nick smiled his thanks and followed the doctor.

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"Are you okay, Griss?" Catherine asked. "I would have asked earlier, but…"

"I know, Cath. But to answer your question, I'm really not sure." Grissom leaned back in his seat, rubbing his temples. Catherine sat beside him.

"Well, talk to me."

"I had no idea what to expect when I went into that house. Sara was pissed at me-again-and I wasn't expecting to be the knight in shining armor, just to be there. I wish I knew how to act around her."

"Griss, you don't have to be the white knight. Just be nice to her for a change! You have to-" She jumped as her cell phone went off. "Hold on, Grissom. Willows," she answered.

"The woman died, Catherine. I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I don't have to look anymore. My job just got a whole lot easier. Ex 20 6. See you in ten days. God Bless." _Click._

Horror crossed Catherine's face.

"Cath?"

Slowly, she closed her phone and turned to Grissom.

"Which commandment is Exodus Chapter 20 verse 6?"

" 'Thou shalt not kill.' Why?"

Catherine's head and shoulders dropped.

"Cath, what's wrong? Who was on the phone?" Grissom asked, more urgent now.

"It was her. She's here somewhere… Mrs. Simmons died, Griss."

It suddenly dawned on him what that meant.

"Take everyone back to the lab. Find out everything you can about the way this woman works. I'll stay here with Sara; she can't be left alone. I don't want to have a face off with this woman, but if it comes down to that, we need to be ready." Getting up from his seat, he walked as quickly as possible, without any outward signs of panic, to Sara's room.

----- ----- -----

"Nick," he called, poking his head in. "Catherine needs you. Miriam called again and we need to close this before anyone else gets hurt." He deliberately said nothing about the message.

Nick nodded and headed out, but stopped once he reached the doorway, looking back at Sara. She was sleeping, facing the door.

"I know, Nick. I'm glad she's okay, but I'm worried too."

"That's not why I'm worried about." Nick turned to look Grissom in the eye. "Don't hurt her again, Griss. I saw her in the locker room and she was torn apart. I love her like a sister… Take care of her, or I'll have your ass."

Grissom nodded. "I will, Nick. Now hurry, or Catherine will have yours."

Nick turned and left, while Grissom went in to see Sara. She'd rolled over toward the window. Grissom sat in a chair and took her hand, stroking it with his thumb.

"I'm sorry, Sara. I never meant to drive you to this, to hurt you that much. You have to know that. I never meant to hurt you at all."

Grissom spoke softly so as not to wake her, but when he squeezed her hand, he could have sworn he felt her squeeze back.

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	8. Chapter 8

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Chapter 8

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"Okay people, listen up!" Catherine shouted over the din. "We have a criminal to catch… forensically, of course."

The team was assembled in the conference room and Catherine had taken Grissom's usual spot at the head of the table.

"Heard you got an update, Cath," Nick said.

"I got a call from Miriam. She's keeping to her schedule, so we've got ten days to make sure she doesn't hurt anyone else. Now, I want to-"

Catherine stopped short as Conrad Ecklie burst in.

"What the hell are you people still doing here? Your shift's over! Get out of my conference room!"

Warrick looked at his watch. It was noon, well into day shift.

"I'm well aware of what time it is, Ecklie," Catherine spat, "but we've got a major multiple homicide that has hit urgent status, so get the hell out of here so we can put this psycho behind bars!"

"Careful… You could get fired for talking to a supervisor that way," he smiled.

"No, Ecklie. I could get fired for talking to _my_ supervisor that way, and he really doesn't care. Lucky me. So unless you want to get fired for interfering in another one of our cases, you better get your ass out of here!" She punctuated her tirade with a gesture.

Ecklie's smile faded at her frankness and turned to a scowl as he backed out of the room.

Greg turned to face Catherine. "That was brilliant!"

"Well, I'm not in the mood to put up with any crap. A killer with a connection to God has brought this case way too close to home. We're getting close guys. Certain circumstances are forcing her to change her plans, and she's getting sloppy."

Greg looked confused, so Warrick spelled it out.

"She's already told us too much about herself. In the first phone call, she said she'd already done New York and Miami. With ten kills, one every twelve days, that's 120 days. Just about four months. You can't stay in a hotel for four months, unless you're loaded."

"So we look for records of leased homes of four months in New York, Miami, and Vegas, not to mention registered drivers licenses. Then we compare lists," Nick finished.

"Beautifully explained, Nick. That'll be your job." Catherine smiled. "Greg can help you."

"Me and my big mouth," Nick muttered.

"Also," Catherine pointed out, "we know that she's going for number five next. 'Thou shalt not kill.'… She told me on the phone," she explained when looks of confusion were passed her way. "She was there. She was at the hospital when she called. That's the only way she could have known what happened. We know she'll be nearby scouting. This time we'll be ready for her."

"What about us?" Warrick asked.

"We're going over that tape again. There has to be something we're missing."

----- ----- -----

Sara awoke to a throbbing pain in her chest. She rolled onto her back and slowly opened her eyes. The room was bright and she shielded her face to look around, only to see someone sleeping in the chair next to her bed. Looking closer, she was surprisingly pleased to see that it was Grissom. Somehow, her anger melted away at the thought that he'd stayed the whole night to make sure she was okay.

Still, she realized that it would be awkward when he woke up. She'd been pissed at him for what he'd said, and her pride had kicked in when she decided to go talk to Mrs. Simmons. Yet, somehow, he'd found out where she'd gone and ended up saving her life. Her thoughts drifting back to the events in the house, she felt the throbbing in her chest again and moaned.

Suddenly, her cell phone rang from near by. Sara looked around and saw a paper bag on the nightstand. She winced as she twisted to reach the bag filled with her personal effects.

"Sidle," she answered.

"Glad to hear you awake, Ms. Sidle," said a cool voice Sara immediately recognized as Miriam's. "How are you feeling?"

"Sore," Sara said truthfully.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'll send a nurse up to see about that. You know, I've missed seeing you around, Sara. I truly must say that I'm sorry my mission has put you out of work. But, to make it up to you, in seven days, I'm going to give you the crime scene of your life. One all your own."

"Why do you keep hurting people?" Sara asked.

"Oh, Sara, I'm disappointed in you," Miriam tsked. "You always seemed like the kind of person who wanted justice to be served. I guess I was wrong… It really is a shame. Well, goodbye, Sara, and God Bless." _Click._

_----- ----- -----_

Sara slammed the phone on the bed, but was sorry for it immediately afterward as the pounding in her chest worsened with each movement. "Damn it!" she yelled.

"Who was it?"

Sara jumped at the sound of Grissom's voice beside her. "God, Grissom! You scared me half to death!"

"Sorry," he said, leaning her back and covering her back up with the tousled blanket. "You shouldn't move so much, or it'll hurt worse."

"Thanks," she sighed. "I'm just frustrated."

"Which brings me back to my question. Who was on the phone?"

"It was her, Griss. It was Miriam, and she's going to kill again."

"Calm down, Sara. Tell me what was said."

Sara began to relay the conversation back to Grissom. By the time she had finished, his face was extremely pale.

"What's wrong, Griss?"

"I need to call Catherine. Excuse me." He walked to the other side of the room while dialing Catherine's number. As hard as Sara strained, she could only hear bits of the conversation.

"…Confirms what she told you…seven days…she was here, maybe still is…I know…Yes, Sara's still the target…I won't…only if she asks. I can't lie to her, I won't…Okay, good. Bye."

"What was that all about?" Sara demanded as he made his way back to the chair beside her bed.

"Catherine is using all the info we have to locate Miriam," he answered vaguely.

"You're avoiding the question. I'm a target? Seven days? What's going on?"

Grissom sighed, and then looked at her with sad eyes. "I didn't want to say anything until you were at least out of the hospital…Miriam called Cath right after you got out of surgery. She told Catherine that in ten days, Exodus 20:6 would be carried out. 'Thou shalt not kill.'"

"Wait she told me seven…" her voice trailed off. "I've been asleep for three days!"

Grissom nodded. "When Mrs. Simmons shot you, your gun went off as you flew backwards. … She died, Sara"

Sara laid back in shock. " 'The crime scene of my life,'" she whispered, as she grasped the meaning of it all. "So, you've been here for three days to make sure she didn't accelerate her schedule," she said a moment later, more of a statement than a question.

"No, Sara! I've been here for three days because I was worried about you! Because as many times as I've hurt you, and as hard as it may be for you to believe, I care about you and …"

Their conversation was interrupted when a rather squat nurse came in the room. "Okay, Ms. Sidle. How are you feeling?"

Grissom put his head down, half out of respect and half out of embarrassment.

"Fine. A little sore maybe, but fine," Sara lied, not wanting any fuss.

"Your friend mentioned you were sore. I brought some Tylenol." Grissom's head snapped up as the nurse turned to leave.

"My friend?" Sara asked nervously, suddenly remembering the phone call.

"Yes, the lovely woman downstairs. So polite."

"What did she look like?" Grissom demanded.

"Fair skin, reddish-brown hair, dark eyes. Very pretty. She sounded very concerned about you, Ms. Sidle. You're very lucky to have such a good friend," the nurse said from the doorway.

"Yeah, lucky me," Sara mumbled.

Grissom got up and crossed the room.

"Gil, wait!" she called, panic in her voice. "Don't go!"

He turned, startled at the use of his given name. He held up his phone. "Just calling Cath. I'm not going anywhere." He flashed a small but rare smile.

As Grissom was on the phone describing Miriam to Catherine, Sara laid back in the hospital bed thinking. A month ago-hell a week ago-she would have died for the attention she was getting from Grissom, now that she nearly had. She wondered what he was thinking now as she watched him come back to his chair.

"I think that Tylenol is making me drowsy already," she said mid-yawn, turning on her side to face him.

"Well, you've been a good patient, you deserve some sleep. I'll be here when you wake up." Grissom leaned over and gave her hand a squeeze. Sara held it as she closed her eyes and smiled, drifting to sleep with the picture of his smile and the sound of his words "I care about you" floating in her mind.

----- ----- -----


	9. Chapter 9

----- ----- -----

Chapter 9

----- ----- -----

"All right!" Catherine called out to Nick and Greg, who looked half-dead from staring at a computer screen for the third straight night in a row. "We got a description of her! That should give us the right one!"

From all the searches they'd run in three days, they'd only narrowed it down to three suspects. Lucky for them, all three of them looked different.

"Okay, the nurse said fair skin, reddish-brown hair, and dark eyes. Any of the three match that description?"

"Match!" Nick cried. "One Vivian Corinth of suburban Vegas, near Henderson. Let's page Brass and pay a little visit."

"Good call. Who'd like to do the honors?" Catherine smiled.

"Can I? I'd like my first to be a really good one!" Greg spoke up from the back of the group.

"Sure Greg-o," Nick said, tossing his phone to the young techie. "Call from the car. Let's hit the road!"

----- ----- -----

"Okay, Ms. Sidle, you're free to go."

Sara had awoken from her catnap to find her room empty. She'd panicked momentarily, until Grissom came in with the squat nurse. He'd been glad to see her awake so that the nurse could determine if she was well enough to finish recuperating at home.

"Just remember to change the dressings every day. Here's a medication for the pain. It's pretty heavy stuff, but if you stick to the prescribed dosage, you should be fine." The nurse handed Sara the bottle with a smile and left.

"Ready to go?" Grissom asked, helping her into the customary wheelchair the doctors always seem to send patients out in. With a nod in response, he pushed her out to the parking lot and bid her to wait by the doors as he brought his car up and around.

As she waited, Sara got the odd and unsettling sensation that she was being watched, but brushed it off as Grissom pulled up, and bounded around the car to help her into the passenger seat.

She smiled. "I'm not a cripple, you know."

"Just trying to help," he said in good humor.

"Well it's not like I can't do anything. I just got shot!"

"Okay, so maybe I'll just leave you to get better on your own. Maybe I won't help you at all anymore," he said as he climbed into the driver's seat and started the car.

"No, don't!" she cried, thinking he was serious.

He laid a hand on her leg as he pulled the car out in the direction of her apartment. "I'm not going anywhere unless you ask me to," he assured her.

Once they got to the apartment, Sara played the dutiful patient and took her medication. When it made her drowsy, Grissom tucked her in and sat on the end of her bed until she fell asleep.

----- ----- -----

"I can't believe we missed her!" Nick whined as the crew settled in the break room.

"I can't believe she journals about every killing!" Warrick countered, reading from a small leather bound notebook they'd found in Vivian Corinth's house.

They'd taken it to Questionable Documents and had it compared to the signatures and writings on several filed legal documents, including her driving license. It was a match closer than any they'd ever seen.

Wearing gloves, Warrick found it difficult to turn the pages, but all the same, he was fascinated by the contents. "Listen to this. 'I wish I didn't have to do what I've been asked to do. My plans have had to change, and so have my tactics. The condemned has not been alone since the incident, so it's been difficult to observe her. But, she's been released from the hospital…'" Warrick slowed as two and two came together, " '… and her friend will have to leave in order to bring things back to stay with her. That's when I'll strike.' Oh, my God. Sara…"

At that moment Grissom walked in. "Did you find her?"

"Grissom, what are you doing here!" Catherine asked, a little harsher than originally intended.

"Sara fell asleep. Her meds kicked in and made her drowsy. I thought I'd come by and see how you guys were doing on the case. Why?"

"We gotta get over there NOW! You shouldn't have left her alone!" Catherine and the rest of the crew bolted to the parking lot, dragging Grissom with them. Cath tossed the keys to Warrick. "Drive! We'll explain on the way, Griss. Get in the car!"

As soon as all the doors were closed, Warrick tore out of the parking lot and headed straight for Sara's apartment, for once his crazy driving habits coming in handy.

----- ----- -----


	10. Chapter 10

----- ----- -----

Chapter 10

----- ----- -----

They saw the smoke before they heard the sirens. Following a fire truck as they got closer to Sara's apartment, their hope for her survival dwindled with each passing moment.

Grissom was the first out of the car. Consumed by guilt at having left her alone, he ran past the police line and the firemen to get to the door. Learning from past cases, he felt the door to see if it was hot before kicking it open and rushing in. His eyes burned from the smoke that rushed toward him on its way out the door. Rushing from room to room, he called Sara's name more times than he could count, but to no avail. Each room came up empty.

When he got to the bedroom, smoke was pouring out of the cracks above and below the closed door, smoldering the doorframe.

"Fahrenheit 932," he whispered, realizing how similar the two fires were, and what that would mean for anyone inside.

The explosion that came from somewhere in the kitchen brought him back to the realization that unless he wanted to die, he needed to get out of there. Shielding his eyes from the smoke and the brightness of the flame, Grissom made his way out of the apartment. The team rushed to meet him at the police line.

"Where is she?"

"Did you see her?"

"What happened?"

They bombarded him with questions, but Grissom simply walked past them. He went to the Tahoe, all of the doors of which were still wide open, taking a seat on the passenger side. He just had to sit and process it all.

Catherine followed him and tried again. "Gil," she said gently, "was she there?"

He looked at her with tears in his eyes and shook his head. "Do you remember the arson case from three years ago?" he asked.

The team all remembered that particular case. The homeowner had been arrested for arson and had called Grissom for help. The man's wife and son had been killed in the bedroom during the fire. When Grissom went to investigate the bedroom, he found the door closed and the doorframe smoldered. Grissom had to explain to the man that in order for that to happen, the temperature inside the room had to reach 932 degrees Fahrenheit, at which point any smoke produced by the fire would burst into flame.

Catherine remembered that arson all too well, but unable to trust her voice, she simply nodded, prompting Grissom to continue.

"The door to Sara's bedroom was closed with smoke pouring out, and the doorframe was smoldered…just like in that case." As the rest of the crew came forward to hear his response, Grissom put his head in his hands.

Catherine was rooted to the spot in shock. "There's no way anyone in that room could have survived," she said, more to herself than to anyone else.

"I should have stayed with her!" Grissom managed between sobs. "She was asleep…I tucked her in myself…"

Nick came up and put his arm around Grissom. He was crying, too. "We all loved her, man," he sniffled. All the team could do was be together as their world continued its recent downward spiral.

----- ----- -----

Miriam couldn't stand to watch the team in so much agony. She hated to have to move her schedule up by an entire week, throwing off the carefully planned meaning and symbolism in the process, but conditions and situations had forced her hand, leaving her favorite member of the team in a burning building. True, she deserved to die for her sins, but God only knew why it had to be Sara.

Regaining control over herself, Miriam drove away to finish her mission in Vegas. It was time to leave another message, and she had just the one.

----- ----- -----


	11. Chapter 11

----- ----- -----

Chapter 11

----- ----- -----

The team somehow managed to make it back to the lab, though none remembered how or when. The shock was still numbing and the grief still fresh, but it had been three days since the fire at Sara's apartment and crime in Las Vegas stops for no one.

The dysfunctional family that was the graveyard shift slowly made their way into the conference room for assignments. When Grissom walked in, the group looked to him to see what the mood for tonight would be. He looked no different than most other nights, other than the fact that it was evident he'd had no sleep. He showed no emotion as he handed out assignments, his expressions unreadable. He turned to leave the table; to throw himself into some experiment as he usually did when he shut people out, when the conference room phone rang.

"Yes," he answered, putting it on speakerphone.

"Dr. Grissom, you just had a call from a woman who called herself 'a friend of the team'… She said she had an urgent message for you. 'Matt 23 38 39.'" The team listened intently as the receptionist paused.

"Thanks." Grissom turned to pick up a Bible from a nearby stack of books.

"You also have a visitor. She's making her way back now. She said it was urgent so I told her where you were."

"Thank you," he said surprised. It had been a long time since they'd had any visitors.

A moment after he'd hung up with the receptionist, Grissom and the rest of the team watched as a masked person with a clearly female figure walked into the room. The team exchanged glances. Without a word, the woman removed the ski mask and from within tumbled down familiar brown curly locks. Grissom was the first to reach her.

"Sara!" He picked her up at the waist and twirled her around twice before setting her down and shocking the team by planting a soft kiss on her cheek.

"I'm happy to see you too!" Sara exclaimed as the rest of the crew quickly got over their shock and gave her their own greetings.

"We thought…" Nick began.

"I know what you thought, and it broke my heart to put you in such agony, but I had to. I had to make you believe I was dead so that she would believe it, too. It threw her off to have to move her schedule up so far. She doesn't know how to get back on track, and that leaves her vulnerable. Did you find anything in my apartment? Anything that Miriam wouldn't want you to find?

" Sara how can you ask us that?" Grissom asked pain apparent on his face. " All we cared about was getting to you…"

" Grissom was the only one to go in. We saw him kick the door in, but beyond that, we don't know what went on up there. All we know was that when he came out, he was in tears and from what he managed to tell us, there was no way you could've survived," Catherine said her throat tightening.

Sara looked at Grissom for a moment, hesitating, but plunged in again to break the silence.

" Do you have anything you can use that might lead us to her?"

" Hey Griss, what was that message she sent earlier, before Sara came in?"

Grissom looked down at his notes.

" Matthew Chapter 23 verses 38-39." He reached down for the Bible he'd dropped when Sara came in and read. " And now look, your house is left to you empty and desolate. For I tell you this, you will never see me again until you say ' Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.'"

" She's playing on the last verse," Sara said after a moment. " Remember? ' I will send upon Judah and Jerusalem all the disasters I have threatened.' She carried out her promise, She killed me, or so she thinks."

" She's been watching us!" Nick blurted suddenly.

" What?" Catherine and Sara asked simultaneously.

" 'You will never see me again,'" Nick quoted. "That implies that we've seen her before."

"Which means she's been watching us," Grissom finished.

"So what was similar in everything we've done in the last month, maybe two?" Catherine asked.

"We have her picture. Does it look familiar?" Grissom asked.

Warrick pulled out the photo of Vivian Corinth, aka Miriam, and it was passed around the table, along with other information.

"It says here that she has a gray Oldsmobile Aurora. I saw a car like that drive away when Grissom came out of Sara's apartment and sat in the Tahoe. Did anyone else notice it?" Warrick asked.

"There was a car like that on Kevin Sampson's block, the vic in Laughlin," Sara said, remembering the long drive out there with Catherine. "But it was gone when we left."

"I saw that car in the parking lot of the hospital the day I brought Sara home!" Grissom remembered.

"And at the Simmons house when we originally worked the scene! She's been following us everywhere!" Nick cried.

"Well, better for her to follow us than for her to go about her business and wonder if we're following her," Grissom pointed out. "What do you bet she's watching us right now, to see what we've been up to since Sara's 'death'?" He dialed Brass's number. "Hey Brass, it's Grissom. Where are you? … Lobby? Perfect. Can you pretend you're looking for something in your car and see if you notice any gray cars lurking around? … Thanks. Call me right back."

They all waited in anticipation for Grissom's phone to ring. When it vibrated across the table, they held their breath.

"Grissom," he answered.

"It's there, right across the street. But it's empty."

"Damn!" Grissom slammed his fist on the table. "Thanks, Brass." He looked at the crew. "She was ready for us. The car's there but it's empty."

"Now what?" Warrick asked.

"I have an idea," Catherine said with a smile. "Get Brass in here. We'll need his help."

----- ----- -----


	12. Chapter 12

----- ----- -----

Chapter 12

----- ----- -----

Vivian waited patiently in the back seat of Sara's car. She was glad to know that the bug she'd planted in the conference room was working. However, it was disconcerting that she had failed. She never failed, and tonight she'd make up for it.

She saw the woman she'd failed to recognize as Sara leave the building and head for the car, looking nervously over her shoulder. Vivian crouched down, making herself temporarily invisible. When the door closed and the key was inserted in the ignition, Vivian popped up and put a gun to the ski mask.

"You know, I'm a little disappointed in you, Sara. I thought you understood me, my mission. But somehow you managed to escape me and that just pissed me off. So now I'm going to let you see what you've been playing with before I kill you. Take off the mask."

She didn't move.

"Take off the mask, Sara!"

The woman took the mask off and turned around with a smile. "I'm not Sara."

Taking advantage of Vivian's momentary shock, Catherine knocked the gun from her hand and whistled out the half-open window. Brass and several other officers suddenly surrounded the car, opened the window and pulled Vivian out.

Catherine got out and looked Vivian in the eye as Brass cuffed her.

"You miscalculated, Vivian. I'm almost disappointed, but I think your God believes in justice being served," she quipped, turning as the rest of the group came out to congratulate her.

When Sara faced Vivian, she was glad the rest of the tem was there for support.

"Just because I understood your 'mission' doesn't mean I agreed with it… You'll get the death penalty for this. Do you realize that?"

Vivian smiled. "God never said that following him would be easy. I am a Christian and therefore I am persecuted. I accept that, and embrace it." She looked at each team member individually. "I must say I'm impressed. You did very well, and I feel honored to have worked with you all. God Bless." With that, she followed Brass to the station.

----- ----- -----

"So, Sara, you never told us how you got out," Catherine probed, once they'd found the bug in the conference room and all felt comfortable enough to talk again. The case had shaken them all and they'd needed time to process everything, especially now that it was over. Now they were settled in the conference room, relaxing before the end of shift.

"Well, I couldn't get out of the bedroom, since the door was blocked. So I closeted myself in the bathroom and climbed down the fire escape out the window above my tub. I slipped around the back of the apartment complex and hung out at the 24-hour-a-day diner down the road. Since I almost never sleep, finding a place to stay was never really an issue."

"Well, it sure as hell is now!" Nick pointed out.

"Don't worry. I'll find somewhere to go. It's really no big deal." She sat back to think, for once happy to listen to their chatter.

----- ----- -----


	13. Chapter 13

----- ----- -----

Chapter 13

----- ----- -----

"You cried for me?"

Grissom looked up. Sara had just walked into his office and was making her way toward the chair in front of his desk. It was funny… Grissom could've sworn everyone had left.

"I didn't think anything about that… I … I didn't know you cared that much." She looked at the floor, embarrassed.

Grissom walked around the desk, kneeling in front of her. He lifted her chin so he could look her straight in the eye.

"Sara, I told you in the hospital how I felt. I do care about you, more than you know, and after everything I've done to you, I know that's hard to believe…"

"After everything you've done _for_ me, it's not," she said with a small smile and a single tear. "But that still doesn't answer my question."

Grissom pulled her to his chest and wrapped his arms around her, wishing he could kiss her tears away. "Yes, " he whispered. "I did cry for you. As far as we knew, you were dead for three days, and the only thing that got me out of bed last night was the thought that Vivian was still out there hurting people."

"I want to see her."

"What!" Grissom pulled back to look at her.

"I want to see her," Sara repeated. "There's still something I don't understand."

----- ----- -----

It didn't take much to see Vivian. Grissom stayed in the background out of respect,providing supportbut giving Sara space. He watched and listened as Sara walked up to Vivian's cell.

"Sara… I didn't expect to see you here." Vivian was clearly shocked, but put on a smile as she walked up to the bars.

"I'm here because there's still something I don't get." Sara's tone made it clear that she was on a mission of her own.

"Okay, shoot," Vivian shrugged.

"Why break a commandment to enforce them? You never explained that." A crack in Sara's voice warned that she was emotionally on the edge.

"Because it emphasizes the consequences of crossing God. 'The wages of sin is death.' We discussed this once before, Sara."

Anger flashed in Sara's eyes. "That's not the point and you know it!"she screamed. "You're nothing but a hypocrite, do you hear me? A hypocrite!"

At this point, Grissom came forward and guided Sara away from the cell so that she could recompose herself. He was stopped, however, when Vivian called out to him.

"You always were one to avoid confrontation, weren't you, Gil? Even though you love her, you still can't bring yourself to say it, can you?"

Guiding Sara to the door, he went back and looked Vivian in the eye.

"Who are you to talk about love?" he demanded, acid dripping from every word. "You killed 23 people! I find it very interesting that you paid so much attention to the Ten Commandments but so little to the most important commandment of all: 'Love thy neighbor as thyself.'" He snorted in disgust. "Your last name suits you. Paul wrote chapters on love, but the Corinthians didn't get it either. Maybe next time, God should send Cupid. He might get the point across."

He stormed out, leaving Vivian in shock and Sara in awe. She was waiting for him by the door. When it closed behind them, they headed in silence to the car.

----- ----- -----

Once they settled in,Grissom stared at the steering wheel.

"How long were you standing at the door?" he asked uncomfortably.

"The whole time," she answered softly. "Nice speech."

"Uh…thanks, I guess." He started the car, then looked back at her. She was still staring at him. "What?" he asked.

"Is it true, what you said?"

"Which part?"

"About the Corinthians. How'd you know that?"

He sighed before answering, "I used to be Catholic. I used to know a lot more Biblical stuff, but science lured me away."

He was surprised at how easy it was to talk to her. He'd never shared his past with anyone before, but he knew that once it came time to share his bigger secrets, it would be harder.

Even quieter than before, Sara asked, "Is it true, what she said?"

"Which part?"

"About you loving me." This time her voice was barely above a whisper as she looked at the floor, embarrassed.

For the second time that morning, he lifted her chin to look deep in her eyes.

"Yes."

He leaned over and planted a kiss as soft as butterfly wings on her forehead, then started driving.

----- ----- -----


	14. Chapter 14

----- ----- -----

Chapter 14

----- ----- -----

"Have you given any thought as to where you are going to stay?" Grissom asked, after they'd been on the road for a while. They had to get back to the lab to get Sara's car, but he'd follow her wherever she went, as a precaution.

"Not really. It'll have to be somewhere close, so I can still be near work. Somewhere safe, comfortable."

Grissom took a deep breath. He knew it was a big step, but he also knew that it had to happen.

"Why don't you stay with me?"

"Really? Are you sure you don't mind?" She wanted to check before getting overexcited.

"Yes. I want you to." He hoped he sounded more confident than he felt.

"I'd love to. Maybe we can do some catching up."

When they arrived at Grissom's townhouse, Sara picked up the morning paper while Grissom opened the door. Chuckling at the front-page headline, she showed it to him as they walked in, getting a small laugh from him in return.

They hadn't slept in days, and both were exhausted. They set their things down by the door and laid the newspaper on the coffee table before he led her to the bedroom to crash.

The headline read: "Bible Thumper Plays God and Loses."


End file.
